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Overview

The Sarnia Site, located on 110 hectares adjacent to the St. Clair River, began operations in 1947. The manufacturing plants at Dow's Sarnia Site make basic chemicals and plastics. We ship these products by railcar and truck to our customers, who process them further into the consumer products you purchase.

Our manufacturing plants depend on a number of supporting groups to ensure the safety and efficiency of our entire production process. Some of these supporting units are:

The Environmental and Utilities Group is responsible for all site waste water treatment at the Biological Oxidation plant, waste handling, and the storage and distribution of hydrochloric acid, as well as the operation of site utilities such as steam, air, water and power.

We receive the ethylene needed at our Sarnia Site manufacturing plants through the Cochin pipeline that stretches from Dow's manufacturing site in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, to our Sarnia Site in Ontario. This raw material is received, stored and distributed by Hydrocarbons Storage and Distribution (HCSD), located about six kilometers southwest of our main manufacturing facility. This location also provides contract Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and ethylene storage for third-party customers.

Adjacent to the HCSD unit is The Dow Wetlands. From its original concept in 1997, the Dow Wetlands have evolved into a sanctuary for plant and wildlife. The creation of The Dow Memorial Forest which began in late 2000, honors the memory of past employees while contributing to the environment. The Forest is also a Carolinian habitat capable of supporting larger species of animals that help balance the ecosystem in The Wetlands.

The Wetlands is continuously maintained, and through the efforts of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, tours are provided for local area school children. In 2004 a trail guide brochure was developed and interpretive signs installed around The Wetlands. This educational material offers detailed information for both tour groups and those visiting The Wetlands. During 2004 close to 2,000 local area school children visited The Dow Wetlands.

Manufacturing Units
At our Sarnia Site we have a number of manufacturing units which make products for a variety of end uses.

Our Polystyrene unit produces two types of polystyrene plastics using styrene and rubber as major feedstocks:

• A high impact resin (very durable and used to make products like refrigerator linings and bicycle helmets); and
• A general-purpose resin (used in packaging products like foam meat trays and jewel boxes for packaging Compact Discs and Digital Video Discs).

Another product made from polystyrene is STYROFOAM™ Brand Insulation used in home construction. We support initiatives to collect, process and market recycled polystyrene, and Dow is a founding member of the Canadian Polystyrene Recycling Association.

The Latex unit produces acrylic and styrene acrylic waterborne latexes for the architectural and industrial coatings industries, adhesives and sealants industries and traffic paint industries. Next time you paint or caulk, you may be using a product that began its life at this plant.

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic is used for flexible plastics and clear films such as those used for bread bags and plastic wrap. Along with the packaging industry, the health care and dry cleaning industries also use this type of plastic.

Polyols are produced at our Propylene Oxide Derivatives unit by reacting glycerin with ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. Polyols are the basic building blocks in a variety of polyurethane foam products including automotive car seats, dashboards and bumpers; foam mattresses and pillows; and furniture foam.

Sarnia is also home to an Olefin Product Development Plant where the site has been involved in a R&D partnership with a Texas based corporation to produce polyethylene waxes.

An Epoxy Resins and DERAKANE™ epoxy vinyl ester resins plant was previously resident on the site however, in June, 2004, the global Epoxy Products and Intermediates Business made the decision to close the plant. The plant is now decommissioned (chemical free) and our plan is to eventually demolish it. The decision was based on a need to consolidate global production as dictated by changing market dynamics. With the existing global economic volatility, Dow businesses continue to look at their operations worldwide.

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